


The Butler, in Basement, with Candlestick!

by Demonic_activity, la_muerta, muchclsr, stumbledhere, Taupefox59



Series: Flash Bang #1 - Bingo (Team Green) [34]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Attempt at collaborative writing, Case Fic, Crack, M/M, fic bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 17:11:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14501694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demonic_activity/pseuds/Demonic_activity, https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_muerta/pseuds/la_muerta, https://archiveofourown.org/users/muchclsr/pseuds/muchclsr, https://archiveofourown.org/users/stumbledhere/pseuds/stumbledhere, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taupefox59/pseuds/Taupefox59
Summary: Jace enlists Simon to help him sort through the Institute's basement for a magical artifact.It was areallybad idea.For the Shadowhunters Hiatus Flash Bang #1 - BingoSquare #21: Casefic





	1. Chapter 1

 

_ We Begin: _

  
  


How now, Reader! whither wander you?

 

Some magics do keep their revels tonight:

Take heed that mundanes come not within sight;

For trickery is passing fell and wrath,

Beguiling temptations curiosities hath

Two lovely boys, stolen from their living world;

Found corpselike and thus a my’stry unfurl’d

And Shadowhunters would solve the case

Unless Downworlder Friends find the true chase;

All, if begrudging, do love the two boys,

A life without would be bereft of joy:

Drench’d in deathlike sleep, unable to wake;

Friends falsely convinced that lives are at stake,

Trapped in dreamland they meet in grove or green,

Whilst friends search for an evil unseen.

 

Thou speak'st aright;

Downworlders and ‘Hunters will patrol the night.

When their own will fall prey to some unknown

They look deeper than what’s on surface shown.

In staircase, hotel, or dark alleyway

Surely there must be some evil to slay.

Together, or all alone in the night,

None give up on their friends without a fight.

Searching for clues with relentless vigour;

In hopes of resolution to figure.

Chasing false leads could end in disaster

Will egos rule, or will cool heads master?

Of followed guts, hunches and deduction,

We spin a tale of weekly corruption

Read on to find if the myst’ry’s solved quick:

The Butler, in Basement with Candlestick!

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

“Why are we here again?” Simon asked, looking around the dusty basement of the Institute. There were the expected boxes of files, dust bunnies large enough that Simon was a bit afraid they might be sentient and then… there was Jace. Jace, who was tearing through boxes and piles of things, with absolutely no regard to order or putting things back. He definitely wasn’t paying attention to the fact that if anything went missing, it wouldn’t be on his pretty shadowhunter head. The vampire with only a tenuous reason to be there however? Simon knew  _ exactly _ how the conversation would go down the next time a shadowhunter couldn’t find something in the archives.

Jace sighed, “Because. I need to find the Pendant of Laietus and you’re going to help me find it.”

“That’s the bit I’m still stuck on. Why am I helping you again?”

Jace looked up and smirked. “Because I promised I would make it worth your while.”

“Did you? I feel like I would remember a conversation like that, and all I really remember is you walking into my bedroom this morning, throwing clothes at my face and telling me that I needed to get up.”

“That’s romantic,” Jace said, absently, pawing through piles of what honestly appeared to be torn clothing. Simon officially had no understanding of why shadowhunters kept the shit they did.

"See, this is why I worry. I kind of think that you honestly believe that  _ is _ romantic.”

Jace looked up from the dusty corner he was ransacking and sent Simon his most winning smile. “Of course it is.”

Simon sighed. “It really isn’t.”

The smile dropped from Jace’s face, and he walked across the room to where Simon stood. “I’m… sorry?”

“Are you sure?” Simon snarked, raising an eyebrow.

Jace sighed. “I know that I’m not… I know that I…” He paused for a moment, looking down and away from Simon, before he took a deep breath and met Simon’s eyes. “I am trying to work on it.”

“Work on what?” Simon coaxed, but his voice was gentle.

“I need… I need you to trust me,” Jace said, slowly, “I need to know that even if I don’t explain what’s happening, you will choose to come with me; that I don’t need to drag you along or trap you into something for you to want to be there.”

Simon smiled softly, leaning in for a brief kiss. “I do, you know.”

Jace blinked at him in confusion. “What?”

“I do want to be here with you,” Simon clarified. “I like you. I want to spend time with you.”

Jace grinned. “So you’ll help me find this thing?”

Simon shook his head. “Really, I would be so much more help if you gave me even the teeniest bit of description for what we’re looking for.”

“The Pendant of Laietus!” Jace repeated. “It looks like…” He scanned the room, and then grabbed for a chunky necklace on a dark, heavy-looking chain. “It looks nothing at all like this!”

Simon raised an eyebrow, but couldn’t fight his smile. “That continues to not be helpful,” he said, reaching out to take the necklace from Jace.

Their fingers brushed as they both held the necklace, there was a flash of light, and then everything went black….

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

"Good morning."  
  
"Good morning."   
  
"Do you know what would make this morning even better though?" Magnus whispered mischievously.   
  
Alec grinned. "Can't imagine I- mmm, _fuck_ , Magnus-"   


\---  


Later when they were lying tangled and sweat-damp, bodies delightfully sated, Alec sighed.  
  
"Do I _really_ have to go to the Institute today?"   
  
"Not if you don't want to. You deserve a day off."   
  
"Do you have anywhere you need to be?"   
  
"Just here, with you."   
  
"Sounds great," Alec murmured, reaching for his phone on the nightstand and turning it off. "A whole day ahead. Whatever shall we do?"   
  
"I have a few ideas... If you can keep up," Magnus teased.   
  
"I could activate my stamina rune," Alec said in a low voice, in between kisses on Magnus' jaw, then neck, then his chest...   
  
Magnus laughed in delight. "Good, because there are at least a dozen positions in the _kama sutra_ that we haven't tried out."   
  
"What are we waiting for, then?" Alec grinned, and let Magnus tug him down for a kiss.   
  
He didn't even notice that his parabatai rune had faded into nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

 

“Jace? Simon?” Izzy called out into the darkness of the dusty basement storage area. “I'd better not catch you making out in here, you guys were supposed to be finding the Pendant-”

She'd stepped on a hand. She looked down and gasped. 

  
\---

 

“As far as I can tell, they are both perfectly healthy,” Izzy frowned. 

“Except that they appear to be dead. Or deader than usual, in Simon's case,” Maia said.

“But who could have murdered them? They were in the basement of the Institute, all alone,” Bat said.

“Which is why I called in Ragnor Fell - Magnus isn't answering his phone, so I thought he could help us shed some light on the matter,” Raphael said grumpily.

“Well, I'm afraid I have no idea what killed these poor boys. I could use my magic, take a closer look at the scene of the crime, of course,” Ragnor said.

“I have a theory!” Bat exclaimed. “What if it was a demon?”

“How would a demon get into the Institute?” Izzy scoffed. 

“An evil warlock?”

“I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that,” Ragnor frowned.

“Another vampire, jealous of Simon's daylighter powers!”

“Are you trying to say something?” Raphael said through gritted teeth.

“Werewolves!”

“Bat, have you forgotten that  _ we're _ werewolves?” Maia sighed.

“The Seelie Queen?”

“I noticed you've run the gamut of Downworlders, but haven't suggested the  _ shadowhunters _ ,” Raphael said sourly.

“Seelie Queen is not a bad guess though,” Maia said quickly.

“Let's split up,” Izzy suggested. “I'll check the Institute myself, and I'll send Meliorn a fire message.”

“Come on. We'll go check out the Jade Wolf and snoop around,” Maia said, beckoning Bat.

“I'll ask around at the DuMort,” Raphael offered reluctantly.

“And I'll be in the basement,” Ragnor agreed before they all split up.

  
  


 


	5. Clary

 

 

Clary heard about Jace and Simon from Izzy.

She knew Izzy, Maia, Bat, and Ragnor were on it, but she figured she could probably investigate and help on her own because she was so special.

So, she summoned the Angel Raziel. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Raziel asked, wings beating gently, the glade bright and warm.

“I have some friends that are asleep,” she said.

“Have you tried...poking them?” Raziel asked, looking confused.

“No,” Clary explained impatiently, “like, they’re _really asleep_.”

“Coffee?” Raziel suggested.

“A _magical_ sleep,” Clary said.

“Ah,” Raziel said. “I’m not an Angelic Magic 8 Ball: I’m not sure what to tell you.”

“Couldn’t you take a guess or ask your Angel buddies?”

Raziel looked heavenward for a moment and then back down at Clary. “Outlook...not so good,” he said, before winking out of existence.


	6. Meliorn

 

Meliorn was tasked by the Seelie Queen to find out what had happened to the daylighter and the Shadowhunter that smelled like beer and sadness. But not to help them, just so she could know and trade the information for possible future favors in piecemiel snippets of creepy allegory.

 

“Anything you wish, My Queen,” Meliorn said, bowing low. He did not know much about this Shadowhunter, they mostly looked the same to him - brash, arrogant, funny little tattoos all over their bodies - but the daylighter was interesting. In his experience, anything unique to the Downworld was worth learning about. And everyone knew the best place for picking up tidbits of information was the Hunter's Moon.


	7. Epilogue

 

 

The trouble with magic, is that it can be fickle, and troublesome and when used improperly, it could cause a great deal of accidental strife.

Sometimes, magic was meant with an altruistic purpose, and those intentions could get lost in the passage of time.

A necklace, meant to bring peaceful sleep to those who needed it, could get lost in a basement to be touched by accident; sending an entire city into disarray and panic.

A mere ten hours passed without incident, and Jace and Simon were released from their slumber…

Everyone was quite certain that whatever angle  _ they _ had been working had caused the breakthrough.

The necklace went into a glass case saved for dangerous artifacts, and the truth of what  _ really _ happened would be debated long into the future….

  
  
  
  


_ In Closing: _

 

If the shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended,

That you have but slumber'd here

While these visions did appear.

And this weak and idle theme,

No more yielding but a dream,

Readers, do not reprehend:

if you pardon, we will mend:

The authors who be the most humble folk

May hope for unearned luck

Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,

We will make amends ere long;

Else the muse a liar call;

So, good night unto you all.

Give me your hands, if we be friends,

We authors shall restore amends.

  
  
  


 


End file.
